Gentlemen, We Can Rebuild Him..

"Steve Austin, astronaut. A man barely alive. Gentlemen, we can rebuild him. We have the technology. We have the capability to build the world's first bionic man. Steve Austin will be that man. Better than he was before. Better, stronger, faster."
-Introduction to The Six Million Dollar Man.

I've come to a decision recently, Dear Reader. I'm sick of walking around inside this body. I am going to make some changes this year.

Starting right now.

More exercise.
Smaller food portions.
Less carbs and sugars.
No more non-Diet Soda at all.
More water in the diet.
And nuts and fruits and snacks instead of sugary candies and what not.

I'm playing softball in the summer and getting outdoors more often.
I'm going to begin walking and jogging for pleasure. I have the Ipod and the track shoes now, why not use them?

Why the urgency to make this change?

Three reasons actually...

I spent Saturday night with a pretty little girl who saddled up to the Town Hall bar with me and engaged me in conversation for two hours and then wanted to go to a late night dinner with me and then, at the moment when two people who've spent that much time with each other are supposed to make a move and lock lips, she balked and then couldn't explain why.

And the reason why, Dear Reader, is because I do not physically present a package that was appealing to her. Sure the conversation was soooooooooo interesting to her. Kept her rapt attention for hours, but the moment of actual physical intimacy just didn't appeal to her. And there's no other way to say it, than to say, it was my physical appearance.

This isn't morbid self flaggelation, it's the stone cold truth.

The other reason is a careless blog entry in "The Frustrating Girl's" blog. (Which I won't link for you here. Sorry) She's dating someone now. That explains the unannounced absence. And this guy is "a real change for her." In that, he's CUTE. She further explains that she doesn't normally date CUTE guys, but instead dates the "crazy, CRAZY, crazy" ones. Her exact words.

Which, I guess, infers that I am "not-cute and crazy, CRAZY, crazy". That sort of explains why I don't get attention from her anymore.

Okay, man.
Message received.

These girls need for me to make a change too. They're telling me something that I already know. That self-acceptance of my less than perfect body is NOT a strong selling point. All that pressure that girls feel to be two sizes smaller and perky-titted, we guys also feel to be slim, svelte and washboard-stomached. I already knew this. I just ignored it and didn't want to deal with it.

Also, a very nice young man, that I barely knew, died of a very serious heart condition, this weekend past. He was only 34. I am 31. And carrying around about 50 lbs of un-needed weight. Add to that, my family has a history of weak hearts and it's time to face up to what I've been avoiding dealing with for years now. If I don't actually apply myself to some sort of fitness program, I am going to be dead and gone, sometime soon.

Well, that's about enough self-delusion and quiet, firm denial. I have to get proactive about this and make some changes. Start all over. Actually pay attention to my diet and get some exercise and start to look like I want to look, instead of how I accept that I look. There's a dangerously handsome, thin man fighting to get out of me. Time to make that happen.

So, yes, changes to be made.

Starting now.

Here we go!

Mr. B.